Drying room



Dec. 9, 1924- E. E. PERKINS DRYING ROOM Filed April 30 Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER E. PERKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNO'R T0 ELMER E. PERKINS COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DRYING, noon.

Application filed April 30, 1924. Serial No. 709,946.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Drying Room, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to drying kilns, and while the principles thereof may be embodied inkilns adapted for drying various articles and substances, the inventionisillustrated as embodied in a drying kiln which is particularly adapted for drying powdered material employed in the manufacture of confections.

Many confections are dried by surrounding them with powdered material, principally starch, which absorbs the moisture from the confections. In some instances the trays of starch with the confections therein are placed in the drying kiln, and in other instances the moisture is absorbed from the confections by the starch outside the kiln, and the starch in the trays is then placed in the kiln for the removal of the moisture therefrom, so that it may be used again for drying confections.

In drying this powdered material, such as starch, either in conjunction with or separate from the confections, it is desirable that a continuous circulation of air around and between the starch trays be maintained, and thatthe drying room or kiln be of substantially uniform temperature throughout, and thatthe circulation of air be not only continuous but substantially uniform. Ihese results are best accomplished by heating the air at the bottom of the kiln beneath the trays, but since the starch is quite inflammable, and since more or less of it is spilled from the trays during the loading and unloading of the kiln, it is essential that provision be made for preventing starch from falling onto the heating pipes.

' One of the primary purposes of my present invention is to provide a drying room which will have provision for the necessary heating and circulation of the air around the starch trays and which at the same time will afford adequate protection against starch falling on the heating pipes.

In my prior application Serial No. 645,733, filed June 16, 1923, I have disclosed a construction in which tracks are provided upon which truck loads of starch are run into the drying room. It is advantageous, however, to dispense with fixed tracks, thereby avoiding thepossibility of the trucks running 01f of the tracks and also expeditingthe loading and unloading of the kiln, and with this end in view my present invention contemplates the provision of a truck supporting structure onto which the trucks may be run in any desired position or relation to each other and which will also afford communication between the space surrounding the heating pipes near the floor and the space above the truck supporting structure in which the starch is dried. The communication thus established provides for adequate circulation of the air from the heating pipes upwardly around the starch trays and back to the pipes again.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a truck supporting structure of the character indicated, which may be wholly or partially removed in order to aiford access to the floor of the room and the space between the heating pipes for the purpose of cleaning out the starch and any other material which may have, during the continued use of the room, accumulated in this space.

Still another object is to provide a truck supporting structure which will not be liable to accidental displacement, one which will be strong and durable and smooth so that the trucks can be trundled about upon it, and also one which will serve to radiate the heat from the pipes beneath it so that the drying of the starch is eifected not only by the air which circulates through the structure but also by reason of the heat radiated from the structure.

For. the purpose of facilitatin an understanding of my invention I have illustrated upon the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing,-

Fig. l is a transverse sectional view through a drying room embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional VlGW taken at right angles to the showing in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view showing one of the fasteners for a fiat truck sup porting member.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, reference character 5 indicates the floor, 6

the ceiling, and and 8 the side walls, respectlvely, of a drying room, any number of which may be assembled in a battery, if

desired. Upon the floor of the drying room.

and projecting upwardly therefrom there is disposed a series'of upright standards 9 arranged in rows and comprising a broad base or pedestal adapted to be securely anchored to thefioor, and an upright web pro= vided at its upper end with a channel 11 adapted to receive and rigidly support a stringer in the form of a Taber 12. These T-bars, as will be apparent from Fig. 1, ex: tend transversely of the room and are arranged in spaced relation as shown in Fig.2. These stringers are adapted to carry a series of flat truck supporting members 13 preferably formed of sheet metal approximate y oneeqnarter of an inch in thickness nd possessing .sutfioient rigidity so; that they will not bend materially between the adjacent stringers. These flat truoii supporting members are arranged upon the stringers in spaced relation, as will be apparent tromFig. 1, so to provide for air circulation between the members. Each member i provided on its lower face ith a plurality of angle shaped clips lit spaced in. ccordanc w th spa ing of he stringer so hat when the fia m mbe i m ved ongi u in l y in one ire tion e h of he lip w h engage beneat a flange o each f he in e s, pt t e enolmost stringer a h the flat nl mho it mo e in e oppo ite ire ion t. will he l? mul an i y d sen aged r dis onhe ted f om h s r ngers s th t t he moved to thereby permit access to the space beneath the structure. In order to hold the at m mh r a a n latera @hsnheeinent ea f th m i nretetahly se ure- 1 t web nd to the d rlyin t n by one or more screws 15 as illustrated in Fig. 3. B ing r dly as d at its end to th trieee so a to he capable f ate al r longitudinal movement and being secured to the in e m di e rin s by t te he fla m m erar e ur y anc o -ed so that they will not bend or clatter was r ks re ro led v r t em- T e he g P p s a e is sed in th pa e b t n th u h eenporti s ha ture and the floor and while any desired number of pipes may be employed I preferably suspend two pipes by means of hange 6 i ctly eneath each fia m mber 3. The pipes are, therefore, covered by these flat members and any starch or other nater-ial falling through the space between the flat members will drop between the heating pipes and lodge on the floor and will not therefore, come in contact with the heating pipes. For the purpose of lrnaintainingcthe requisite air circulation the drying room is provided with a condensing coil or coils which may be arranged in any suitable manner and for illustrative purposes I have shown such condensing coils 17 and 18 as disposed upon the opposite s de W lls of the room.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that l have provided a drying room comprising a metal truck supporting structure upon which the truck loads of starch trays 19 may be trundled about to any desired position without being restricted zloy tracks to any definite direction of movement. This flat structure is rigidly supported upon stringers which in turn are 'icarried by rigidstandalrds so arranged as not to interfere with the distribution of the heating pipes beneath the structure. 'lzhe heating pipes further.- more are covered by the respective fiat tru supporting members of th structure so as to prevent starch other material which may fall through the spaces betw en the membe s fr m lodging upon or coming n contact with the heating pipes Adequate provisi n for circulation is affo d this construction and at the same time the m tal fla members becoming he ed up serve o transm and radi te h t, the eby adding t th ef i iency of the room The str ctural deta l vilh trat d and des r bed may obv ou ly be vari d i hin wid imit Without dep rting from he ss nce of the inv n ion, as define n the fol wing claims,-

I laim; is

A ryin room compris ng heat n P pes a ng d n eat rel i n n P -9X- iin y to he f oor, stand rds proje t ng wardly from the floor above'said pipes, t inge s ennoh ed ne n saide andar s a atte in t ans e sely of th pipes, and a plu ality of fiat mem rs dispos d a spaced rel ion up n ai etr lager direetly over sa d paced rites, wh by m ter al ein dried is P nted from e ing upon said B11363) i i v 21A dry n m re comprisin h a in P nes ar ng d spac d lat on in; PM??? im ty he he, float. i ge -s a range i spa ed. re atio abo e aid. nin s nd. fia ruc earner-ties members disp sed area ai Ste so in se te re at n an 1- rectly over said plpes so to cover the Same,

ry-themes; QJKHPP S Hgruc tirportmg members arranged inspa'ced relation,

trin er up n, which said tr h nperti g.

mem are a r d; an ea in Pipes d e Posed eneath, id m mb rs d red the eby so a o p ude m teri l eing .clrie u rom t l g upon sa d p p rs- I A rying room somethi ga plu ality of ards P ojec in up dly :ih en ic d relation train th floo at t oom, hea i Pipe disp sed bet e n s d sta dards, tringre et i dhy-thest'andards, ruth-she po ting memhers restin upon said, some ers and disposed directly over said pipes, and means for detachably securing said members to said stringers.

5. A drying room comprising standards arranged upon the floor thereof, pipes disposed betwe-en said standards, stringers sup ported upon the standards, truck supporting members resting in spaced relation upon the stringers, and clips secured to the underface of said members and adapted to be engaged with said stringers to clamp said members thereto upon longitudinal movement of the members.

6. A drying room comprising standards projecting upwardly from the floor thereof, pipes disposed between said standards,

stringers carried by the standards, truck supporting members disposed in spaced relation upon the stringers, clips for detachably securing the members to the intermediate stringers, and means for rigidly fastening the ends of said members to the stringers disposed therebeneath.

7. A drying room comprising truck supporting members arranged in spaced relation above the floor of the room, stringers by which said members are supported, heating pipes extending parallel with and beneath said members, and cooling means in said room remote from said heating pipes.

ELMER E. PERKINS. 

